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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ground · tear · bark · last · stand · dip · arm · deal

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. ground — crushed
  3. tear — from crying
  4. deal — to handle
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. ground — a position
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. tear — from crying
  12. dip — to sink
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. last — final
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. ground — the earth
  17. stand — to bear
  18. last — finally
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. tear — to rip
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. last — to go on
  24. deal — a big deal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com